France urges nationals to evacuate families from Yemen

France urges nationals to evacuate families from Yemen

2010-10-14 01:06:34 GMT+7 (ICT)

PARIS (BNO NEWS) -- The French government on Wednesday urged its citizens to evacuate relatives and family members from Yemen due to the deteriorating security in the Middle East country.

"Given the deteriorating security situation resulting from the recent events in Yemen, we called on French nationals to be extremely careful and vigilant," said French Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero.

The warning was made after President Nicolas Sarkozy met on Tuesday with Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh to discuss security matters.

Approximately 840 French nationals reside in Yemen, the poorest and more chaotic region in the Arabian Peninsula. Last week, a French national was shot dead as he was working for an Australian oil film.

"In this context, women with children will be asked to leave the territory of Yemen. This is a temporary precautionary measure taken in conjunction with the major French companies present on site and after having informed the Yemeni authorities."

Yemen has serious security issues as the local branch of Al-Qaeda is establishing itself as a growing threat thanks to his global jihadist network. The Arab country also deals with sporadic rebellions by Zaidi Shiites in the months and a southern separatist movement.

Local authorities have tried to disrupt Al-Qaeda's advancement through small offenses in response to the terrorist's attacks against diplomatic missions, oil platforms and the foreigner tourists at Yemen.

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